m ((captialise link instead)) |
(Adding external links) |
||
Line 182: | Line 182: | ||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
http://attra.ncat.org/pest.html - Pest Managemnet Website from National Sustainable Agriculture information Service (ATTRA) | |||
http://www.sare.org/publications/insect.htm - Manage Insects on Your Farm: A Guide to Ecological Strategies - PDF book | http://www.sare.org/publications/insect.htm - Manage Insects on Your Farm: A Guide to Ecological Strategies - PDF book | ||
http://stephenville.tamu.edu/~nroe/ekind/ekindpm1.htm - Integrated Pest Management for gardeners - Slides with images of common problems | |||
[[Category:Organic_farming]] | [[Category:Organic_farming]] |
Revision as of 00:49, 25 February 2007
Introduction
Control of pests and diseases is vital in farming to improve yields and the quality of the final output. This page shows methods of reducing pests and diseases.
This section has particular focus on how farmers can control pests and diseases using organic methods and locally available resources. These methods are particularly useful in the developing world context, where resources can be scarce
Healthy growth & prevention
Method | Notes | Examples/Links |
---|---|---|
Clean planting materials | Disease and pests in the soil can be spread more quickly through the use of unclean tools. Farmers should ensure that they clean their tools when moving between areas of the farm | |
Fertilisers | Fertilisers can promote the growth of plants, making them less likely to be attacked by pests particularly when they are young.
However fertilisers can be expensive, and their chemical makeup can reduce the quality of soil and the build up of chemicals. |
|
Pesticides/ Insecticides | Pesticides are sprayed to kill or repel particular pests
Spraying pesticides is expensive for a poor farmer, and can often be often ineffective. Repeated spraying can reduce the quality and build up of chemicals in the soil |
|
Crop rotation | Crop rotation is a vital in controlling the build up of pest and diseases. Soil remains higher quality and pests of a particular vegetable or plant will not be allowed more than one year to breed and thrive |
|
Weeding | Pests can be attracted to a vegetable patch which is rich in weeds.
Weeding results in young plants not having to fight so much for soil nutrients, water and space. They grow more quickly, and hence are less likely to be attacked by pests when they are young and weaker. |
|
Ploughing | ||
Mulching | Mulching can be used in a number of ways to reduce pests. By mulching a soil it stays more healthy and does not dry, allowing healthy growth of plants
Plants which overhang close to the ground can be easily attacked by ground dwelling animals such as caterpillars, or decompose through contract with the soil |
|
Fallowing | Fallowing gives an area of poor soil, or a diseased area of soil time to recover by leaving it empty. It is often used as part of a crop rotation. This can result in reduction of a pest and/or improvements of the soil
However fallowing can also cause problems, particularly where a field is left exposed to the elements. The sun and rain in combination can dry the soil and wash away the nurients. An alternative to fallow is to plant nitrogenous rich legumes in a soil as part of W |
|
Intercropping | Intercropping is where two or more varieties of plant are grown close to each other. This allows a greater density of plants, which can each take up different nutrients from a well kept soil.
Sometimes intercropping occurs when different varieties are planted in alternating rows. But true intercropping can also, be a lot more chotic with fields resembling weed beds, due to the growth of multiple varieties of crop. Intercropping a pungent crop or a brightly coloured one can repel pests, sometimes intercroppping certain plants can be used as "bait" attracting a pest away from the vegetable that is being grown |
See Intercropping |
Closed seasons | Closed seasons mean that crops are left to grow for a specific season and are not left in the field outside that time. In non closed seasons, particularly when crops are left all years, pests will have more time to breed and gaincontrol of the plants | |
Clean seeds/plants | Cleaning seeds can reduce the pests that are present.Cheap seeds and plants that smallholders and farmers buy or use can be of poor quality. By cleaning before planting risk of disease can be reduced | |
Paring | cuttig of disease parts, dirt or unused roots of a plant before transferring them can remove pests and diseases |
|
Controlling of pests & diseases
Method | Notes | Examples/Links |
---|---|---|
Biological control/Predators | For crops that are being attacked by a particular pests, using a preditor can reduce the population of the pest |
|
Green leaves which are toxic | Some green leaves can be toxic to smaller insects who prey on crops. By placing these at the edge of the crops, or within, the pests can be destroyed | |
Traps | Traps can be laid to reduce numbers of pests. | |
Destroy pest lifecycles | With knowledge of the lifecycle and habits of the pest, a farmer can reduce a pests population by interupting the lifecyle, for example destroying eggs, removing nests. | Cane borers in raspberry plantings are controlled by simply pruning off the top 8 inches or so, or slightly below where the Cane Borer is living, and burning these prunings. Borers are easily spotted, because they make the top of the cane wilt. |
Scarecrows | Birds and insects that feed on plants can be scared away by scarecrows. These can be human like figures, shiny objects or bright colours that scare animals away from a vegetable area. | |
Wood ash | Has been known to be sucessfully used in Uganda around the edge of vegetable areas to reduce pests. It is presumed that this materials is avoided by insects and small rodents | |
Live fence/Trap crops | Around the edge of vegetable patches or fields, a live fence can be used:
Typical live fences are made from plants that are:
|
|
Organic pesticides | Organic pesticides are made by using locally available plants to produce a pesticide that will repel pests | |
Burning |
Other methods
Method | Notes | Examples/Links |
---|---|---|
Removing/Killing diseased animals/Quarantine | Within farmed animals. The first precaution should be to seperate ill, or diseased animals from others, so as to reduce the risk of diseases spreading | |
Vaccination | Vaccinnation can greatly reduces the risk of disease that animals are susceptible to.
In developing countries for small holders and farmers it can be probitively expensive |
|
Pest resistant crops | By selecting or buying certain varities of seed which have been engineered to be more robust to pests, extreme weath, or qulity of soil (either by making hybrids or GM)
These seeds can be out of the budget range of a smallholder or rural developing farmer. |
|
Cross mating | Cross mating of plant varieties, can allow a farmer to produce more resistant crops to pests and diseases | |
Improved storage and management | Pest such as rodents or dampness can ruin crops which are being kept on storage |
See also
External links
http://attra.ncat.org/pest.html - Pest Managemnet Website from National Sustainable Agriculture information Service (ATTRA) http://www.sare.org/publications/insect.htm - Manage Insects on Your Farm: A Guide to Ecological Strategies - PDF book http://stephenville.tamu.edu/~nroe/ekind/ekindpm1.htm - Integrated Pest Management for gardeners - Slides with images of common problems